Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan commented on the entry of Russian drones into Polish airspace and Warsaw's subsequent request to activate Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which provides for consultation between the Alliance countries when one of them considers that its territory, political independence or security is threatened, Anadolu Agency reported, quoted by BTA.
“I hope that this will not happen again and we will not see anything like this again“, said Hakan Fidan during the joint press conference with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani during his visit to Italy. His comment was also Turkey's first reaction on the subject.
Fidan recalled that from the very beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has been insisting that there is a risk of the war escalating and that it must be ended as soon as possible. The Turkish Foreign Minister stressed that his country will continue to make efforts in this direction and recalled what was achieved between Russia and Ukraine during the talks in Istanbul. According to him, the negotiations should continue from where they have reached and more efforts should be made to end the war.
“Turkey and Italy share the common opinion that this war must end as soon as possible“, Fidan said.
The Turkish Foreign Minister emphasized that the war poses a threat to both regional and global security and that NATO countries have fulfilled their obligation and are holding consultations.
Regarding Turkey's path to membership in the European Union, Hakan Fidan stated that Turkey's full membership in the European Union continues to be a strategic goal.
“We expect the European Union in this process not to be biased based on narrow political calculations and to develop a vision with steps that will revive Turkey's membership process in the European Union“, Fidan said and added that Italy is among the countries that support Turkey on this path and that he expects this from all countries in the European Union.
During his visit to Rome, he stressed that both countries support strengthening Europe's defense capabilities.
„It should not be forgotten that a sustainable and deterrent security mechanism is only possible with the full participation of Turkey, which has the second largest army in NATO,“ said Hakan Fidan.
Cooperation in the defense industry was one of the main topics that Fidan and Tajani discussed. The goal is to reach a volume of 40 billion dollars.
„We are extremely satisfied with our cooperation in the defense industry. The participation of the Turkish „Baykar“ and the Italian „Piaggio“ in „Aerospace“ and our partnership with the Italian defense industry company „Leonardo“ "should be an example for the entire region," Fidan said.
According to him, the progress made in purchasing a “Eurofighter“ fighter jet from Turkey is extremely important for both his country and Italy, and because of the security of the Mediterranean region, it is also key for Europe's energy security.
Fidan and Tajani also discussed economic relations between Ankara and Rome, regional issues, including the fight against illegal migration, as well as the situation in Gaza and Libya.